Add a Comment!  Have a question or a comment, add it right here!  <Reply to this comment>

 

wow, what a load of glauconite! maybe you and your classmates are 'tards? if anybody really want to know about employment opportunities, check out the placement rates for the school you desire to attend. honors degree—in any field—do not mean anything possibly the greatest thing about the geology are the students.  ive never met a more proud and 'balanced' group before.  kids in computer science are absolutely introverted nerds lacking social skills.  business kids are snooty conservative suburban brats. geology kids are usually down to Earth (hey, who would've thunk it) true, you get paid more as a Petroleum Engineer, and are more sought after as a Geophysicist, but Geology provides a flexibility.  And this applies for EVERY field of study: your ability to get a job is mostly based on your experience, motivation, and desire.  managers hire workers with SOCIAL skills who can prove that they can do the job well.  as much as people are proud of their school, and i am of mine, the school name on a degree (and the degree itself) means VERY LITTLE in the REAL WORLD Fri April 1, 2005, 1:04 am <Reply to this comment>

 

Re: Add a Comment!  Geology is a difficult science.  It requires understanding of not just geology-related classes, but also physics, calculus, chemistry, biology and statistics. Very few sciences are as cross-disciplined, actually, so a BS in geology is often considered a very inclusive science degree.  Geology is absolutely not “rocks for jocks” so if you're considering getting a geology degree because someone told you it's an easy way through college, think again! The intro courses may be easy, but the advanced courses are extremely important and also quite challenging even for the most adept science students.  As for the original poster, I think that's an exaggeration or just plain misrepresented.  If you had a real degree in geology, I don't see how you would only be able to get a degree as a janitor. That's absurd.  Geologists are highly sought after in many fields from teaching/research to engineering to mining to government USGS type positions, not to mention tons of other options! In my department, Geology students are tired, yes - the courses are demanding and you spend many 'breaks' in the field.  But they're not broken or ashamed - far from it.  Like any major, the quality of your degree heavily depends on the people in your department, whether they are students or professors.  Tue November 29, 2005, 6:47 pm <Reply to this comment>

 

Re: Add a Comment!  Puh-lease. Sure, it's hard to get a job in mining or oil with a B.S. these days, and harder than it used to be (but not impossible) to get a job in the USGS or other government agency, but think flexibly: a degree in geology can get you a job at an outdoor school, as a park ranger, teaching science at a private high school, collections management at a small natural history museum, an entry-level position in environmental consulting (in some areas, yes, you don't NEED an MS), GIS work, etc.  No, you won't be making $50K a year — but few people do straight out of college. Yes, it's a tough and competitive job market — and not just in geology.  But even if you can't get something tangentially related, someone with a college degree who can't do better than janitorial might want to look to themselves rather than their degree for blame. Mon March 27, 2006, 1:15 am <Reply to this comment>

 

that's complete and total schist! I hate people who think like this.  There's no way the author of this page actually has a B.S. in geology.  The actual work required for the major involves many hours spent in the field, conducting research, and pouring over abstracts while drafting grant proposals. Possible career options with a Geology degree?  How about the environmental consulting industry, pollution remediation, environmental law or public policy, a career in research (either with an academic institution, government agency or private firm), a career in education (college/university or K-12), work in the US Foreign Service, US Air Force, NASA, National Park Service or Peace Corps, outdoor education, resource management or exploration, computer systems and remote sensing.  Not enough?  Well how about being an astronomer, geologist, land use planner, meteorologist, computer programmer, mineralogist, oceanographer, environmental engineer/scientist, petrologist, physicist, or a technical writer?  Or med school? Somehow, I don't really see janitor in there. Most of these positions are available to people with a B.S., although some require a more advanced degree. So, common misconceptions, eh?  That geology is a useless science and is good for nothing but “rocks for jocks”.  Oh, and that geologists are completely unsociable and awkward. Whoever wrote this original post is an idiot and this site should take some responsibility and remove his opinion. Thu March 30, 2006, 9:20 am <Reply to this comment>

 

I disagree You know, this description is short, but it is so heartfelt and to the point that I think it urges *caution* to the reader. There is no reason to assume the author has no experience just because YOU happened to do alright in the major. Thu January 11, 2007, 8:37 pm <Reply to this comment>

 

Re: Add a Comment!  I'm sorry, but with ANY BA or BS, (or Associates for that matter) you can find better than janitorial work.  I believe that the author of this must have 0 social skills & can't market themself.  I could be a music education major and talk my way into an entry level management trainee position at the least...Maybe the area you are in has a horrible job economy.  If so, move, because your janitorial work won't help your geology credibility. Move Thu March 22, 2007, 10:05 pm <Reply to this comment>

 

Re: Add a Comment!  Actually, I agree with reviewer.  It is very difficult to get a job in geology.  I think the other commenters are taking the reviewer too literally with the janitor comment - our reviewer is simply saying that a geology graduate will have a hard time finding a job in the field, and is likely to end up doing something less desirable. I am a geologist with a PhD and I consider myself damn lucky to have a job in geology.  In fact, the janitor where I work has a degree in crystallography. Many factors have adversely affected the geology career in the United States. First, we reached peak oil around 1970, and the job market for petroleum geologists is a shadow of its former self.  Secondly, the extraction industry in the United States has dwindled to almost nothing.  It's cheaper and cleaner to import that stuff from abroad and let someone else's country get polluted.  And then, in the 1990s, Newt Gingrich tried to eliminate the U.S. Geological Survey because of a personal feud.  He didn't succeed in getting rid of it, but he did succeed in slashing its budget, dumping I don't know how many older, experienced, seasoned geologists into an already stressed job market. Yes, there are jobs in geology, especially in hydrogeology and geophysics, but there are probably about a hundred or so people applying for every one of them. Fri August 17, 2007, 7:36 pm <Reply to this comment>